A/N: I dedicate this chapter to LadyMidnight13. Your comments have given me the motivationand inspiration to produce this chapter when I really just wanted to veg and/or sleep.

Lady Midnight, this is for you!

Chapter 9 – Nothing is as it Seems

Sarah was holding her breath, the Queen was beyond beautiful. Sarah felt ashamed for what had happened between her and Jareth. Even though their escapade the other night was not her intention, she knew she had been a participant. How many other women had Jareth slept with? She began to feel the anger in her building as she thought of Jareth cheating on his wife with countless others. Maybe they were all runners of the Labyrinth. He did seem very comfortable kissing Eva, Sarah thought. She hated the body she was in. Occupying the Goblin King’s body, knowing he had used it to break the sanctity of his marriage, it simply made her convulse with fury. She wanted desperately to shed the skin around her and just go back to being Sarah Williams. One thing was for sure, she was going to tell the Queen about Jareth’s infidelity.

Adaiya looked quizzically at Jareth, his face was contorted in anger, his lips set in a tight line and his eyes were rigid. She knew Jareth to be capable of extreme cruelty when the situation warranted it; however, she had never seen him like this, especially not in her presence. Whenever she entered a room, his face always lit up, he always welcomed her visits and her company had always encouraged him regardless of his frustrations. This time it seemed she had only enraged him further.

She walked slowly towards the King and placed her hand gently on his shoulder while lifting herself on her toes to place a chaste kiss on his cheek, “Good evening my King,” she said with an air of formality. She felt his muscles contract beneath her touch and it worried her. Something was not right.

Sarah cringed as the woman kissed her. It felt so wrong and Sarah resisted the urge to wipe at her face. She watched the Queen as she walked to the other end of the table and elegantly seated herself. The Queen gestured to the servants to begin the dinner while she stared at the King intently. Her eyes shown with concern and her face was lined with worry. Perhaps she already knows about Jareth’s escapades, Sarah thought. She tried to give the Queen a comforting smile. She would tell her that Jareth was unfaithful but not now, not in front of all the servants. She would take the Queen to their bedchamber after dinner and tell her then.

“Jareth, I have heard some disturbing news this morning,” Adaiya said after their first course had been served.

Sarah looked at the simple salad laid before her and felt relieved that so far the meal was normal. She had been worried about the culinary delights of the Goblin Kingdom. A salad was a good start.

“Jareth, did you hear me?” Adaiya spoke again, this time her voice was laced with anxiety and frustration. Jareth was acting completely out of character with his unusual reaction to her as well as his seeming disinterest in his Kingdom. Jareth’s primary focus had always been on the Kingdom and any comment regarding disturbing news would have earned her his full attention. Something was not right.

Sarah looked at the Queen. Her blond hair glittered in the dim light of the dining room and Sarah felt her heart go out to the woman who had to put up with the pig of a King. Sarah took a deep breath, she would have to carry on a conversation with the woman and she would have to be careful not to alert her that she was not Jareth. “My apologies my Queen, what news have you heard?” Sarah wanted to grimace; she hoped that ‘my Queen’ was an appropriate endearment because she was sure as hell not going to say honey, sweetie or love.

Adaiya flashed Jareth a knowing smile. Something was definitely wrong and she would figure out what. Perhaps the best way would be to continue the conversation. “The whole court has heard that you have broken the sacred law and sent home a wished away child when the challenge had been lost. Is this true Jareth?”

Sarah gulped down her wine. First the Fae couple chastised her and now Jareth's wife. She had made her decision; Keira did not belong underground and would not be allowed to stay. She was not going to back away from her decision, she did the right thing, “The rumor is true, I did return the child.”

Adaiya did not hide her disappointment. It was the first time in many years that she felt anything besides love and pride for the Goblin King, but she could not help it. He had never before broken their sacred law; it was established for a reason. “Jareth, you have broken our most sacred law and rumor has already reached the surrounding kingdoms, this will not bode well for the peace summit. You have failed in your responsibility. They will see it as a sign of weakness.”

Sarah scowled. She never liked receiving lectures and the woman’s demeanor reminded her of the night Karen scolded her. The night she wished away Toby and was introduced into the backwards world of the Labyrinth. “I had my reasons,” Sarah said between clenched teeth. She was not going to be intimidated by this woman.

Adaiya frowned towards Jareth, “I certainly hope you knew what you were doing because if the treaty is not signed we will find ourselves in the midst of a war, one that will not end well for anyone.”

Sarah continued to scowl. She had no words for the Queen. She made her decision for Keira not for the adoptive parents or for the safety of the Underground. Perhaps if she had known of the other factors she would have made a different decision but what was done was done.

Sarah and the Queen continued their meal in relative silence. Sarah was churning over what Adaiya had meant by war and the peace summit. She hoped Hoggle would be able to give her the answers she needed. If she was going to be involved in a peace summit she would have to get all the details and soon.

Adaiya watched Jareth, the man before her was clearly disturbed and it greatly bothered her. Nothing was as it seemed, she knew that Jareth was hiding something from her. Jareth never hid anything from her, he had always shared everything with her, she wanted to know what he was hiding but more importantly she wanted to know why.

Jareth did not say a word during the car ride home. He didn’t even flinch when Eva nearly killed them twice while changing lanes. He had desperately wanted to return to his Kingdom but he knew that the way home would not be easy. He had to be Sarah, he had no choice. The psychic was very clear that the only way to get home was to go with the flow and play the part. He had to be Sarah.

Eva, on the other hand, would not shut-up. She had met with a psychic who had done a reading for her as well. Apparently he had told her that she was already walking down the path that would eventually lead to a powerful and very dangerous man. She knew exactly who that man would be, Jareth exuded power and danger. She talked nonstop about him, their future and what she would name their children. Jareth shuttered as he closed his eyes and frantically wished the goblins would take her away, preferably to the bog or at least lock her up in an oubliette.

He had encouraged her affections so that she would be more willing to help him. He knew he could use her own desires to manipulate her but the end result was supposed to be Sarah returning home with her while he made his way back to the castle. Everything was wrong and he had no choice but listen to the girl rattle on and on about their future children.

When they finally made their way back home, Jareth exited the car as quickly as possible. He knew Toby was going to be angry but that was better that one more minute with Eva. He said goodbye quickly and ran into Sarah’s apartment. He scanned around but there was no sign of Toby. He breathed a quick breath of relief and visibly relaxed. Maybe he would get a moment of reprieve, something he had not had since he awoke this morning.

“Hey, is Cheryl there?” Jareth heard Toby’s voice and followed it to Toby’s room. The door was ajar and Jareth could see Toby as he paced in the room holding the phone to his head.

“Hey Cheryl its Toby,” his face looked momentarily ecstatic but then quickly faded to disappointment, “Toby Williams, we have English, Biology, Calculus and PE together.”

Jareth almost laughed, apparently he was not the only man with women problems. He watched as Toby fidgeted with his shirt while continuing to pace. He was sure that there would be a dent in the floor from where he had been walking.

“Listen, I got tickets to the concert next week and I wanted to see if you…” Toby paused and listened for a moment, “Oh, well that’s okay maybe we can catch a movie the next weekend…” Toby paused again, “I see, well some other time then…” Toby looked like he wanted to say something else but before the words came out he moved the phone away from his head, “yeah, goodbye to you too.”

Toby walked out of his room and right into Jareth. He just smiled at the boy, “Girl problems?”

Toby scowled at Jareth. He wished it was really his sister and not Jareth. He felt bad for having even tried to ask Cheryl out in the midst of all the turmoil but he had promised Sarah he would try again. She had even purchased the tickets to the concert so Toby could take Cheryl. He felt like he would let Sarah down if he didn’t at least try to ask her out again.

But now he wished he hadn’t. On top of everything else going on, he could not take rejection. He needed to talk to Sarah right now; he needed her support and advice. He didn’t really understand Cheryl’s aversion to him. He was rather popular, he was a star football player and excelled in wrestling and most of the girls at school were just waiting for him to show them any attention. But Cheryl never looked at him, never noticed him and she always turned him down.

Toby sighed as he withdrew from his reverie and focused all of his attention towards Jareth,“That is none of your business, Goblin King!”

“Please, call me Sarah,” Jareth said with an innocent smile. He also tilted his head to the right and batted his eyes a few times for good measure.

“That is not funny, Jareth, you are not my sister!”

“Well, actually, it looks like that is where you are wrong. I am going to have to be your sister if I ever want to get home. And to do that I am going to need help,” Jareth never took his eyes off of Toby as he spoke.

“You can just forget about that Goblin King, I will not help you.”

“Toby, help me and you help her. You do want your sister back, don’t you?”

Toby sighed. He didn’t really have a choice. If he wanted Sarah back he would have to help Jareth. He slumped in defeat. First he lost his sister, then Cheryl rejected him again and now he would have to help the Goblin King pretend to be Sarah. This was a nightmare.

“What do you need me to do?”

“Well, I am supposed to have lunch with a woman named Veronica tomorrow. Tell me everything you know about her and what Sarah does for a living. Veronica said she wants to talk about some project I am supposed to begin on Monday.” Jareth really did not want to meet Veronica or do Sarah’s job. He didn’t want to be Sarah at all. He sighed in defeat, he was Sarah and he would have to be Sarah if he ever wanted to be himself again.

“Veronica is Sarah’s assistant. She has always been trustworthy and dedicated to her. Sarah is starting a project with Dr. Torres on Monday. I don’t know much of the details but I do know that Sarah admires Dr. Torres, she is the reason why Sarah started to study political science. Sarah works at the Hoover Institution. She is a researcher there. I don’t really understand what they do, but it is something about studying politics and international affairs. She is always working on different projects but I never understand half the things she tells me.”

Jareth felt somewhat relieved that Sarah studied politics. As a King, he would be able to perform her duties; after all, he was politics. However, more than that, if she had at least some understanding of politics, maybe she could pull through the peace summit. He seriously doubted she would be able to as her past behavior did not give rise to hope. Then again, she had defeated the Labyrinth so maybe all was not lost.

The dinner was coming to an end. Sarah had dined in extreme discomfort, the tension in the room was obvious, even the servants looked uncomfortable. Despite the frustration and growing hositlity, Sarah was not looking forward to the ned of the meal. She was certain that she would have to retire with Adaiya to their bedchambers. She didn't want to be alone with the Queen.

The servants cleared the last of the dishes and Adaiya stood up. Sarah also stood and walked towards the Queen. Adaiya placed her delicate hand into Sarah’s arm and they began to walk out of the dining room in silence. The Queen watched her carefully. They had walked though the castle arm in arm too many times to count but Jareth had never seemed so cold and distant as he did this night. He almost seemed like a different person. Adaiya churned that thought around for a while as they continued their trek though the castle.

As they walked Adaiya realized that Jareth didn’t actually know where they were going. She had suspected that something was wrong with him since their dinner began, but now she was certain that the man next to her was not the Goblin King. She felt fear creep into her body and she steeled herself for what she would have to do. She picked up her pace and led him towards her bedchamber.

Sarah noticed that they were now walking more briskly though the hallways. She wished that she had studied the map more thoroughly as she had no idea where they were. All she knew was she was alone with the Goblin King’s wife. She never felt more out of her element and she wished desperately that she could just turn around and run but she didn’t want to alert the Queen to the fact that she was not Jareth.

Adaiya led Sarah to her bedchamber where she could be certain she would be safe from whatever or whoever was posing as Jareth. As soon as she entered the room she pushed Sarah hard against the wall and held her there using her body weight.

Sarah’s heart pounded in her chest as the Queen slammed her into the wall and rubbed her body against hers. Sarah was worried that the Queen was exercising her rights as wife and Sarah was not about to perform any marital duties. “Wait,” Sarah said, trying not to sound desperate.

Adaiya did not stop. She grabbed the imposter’s wrists and held them flat against the wall until the wall itself conjured shackles and grabbed onto the wrists as well as his ankles, preventing any chance of escape. As soon as Adaiya was certain that the man was secured against the wall she stepped back to take a good look at the imposter. “It’s amazing,” she said sadly, “You look just like him.”

The realization hit Sarah immediately. The Queen knew she was not Jareth. Despite Hoggle’s best efforts she had not convinced her. Who knew what the woman would do now. She didn’t know what to say; she couldn’t tell her that she was the girl who defeated the Labyrinth, the same girl that Jareth had danced with in the Crystal ballroom, the same that Jareth had slept with the night before. This woman was not to be reckoned with and right now Sarah felt like a home wrecker. She had sex with a married man and the fact that she didn’t truly consent to it was of no consolation. She was an adulterer and the Queen did not seem like the forgiving type.

Adaiya looked back at the man on the wall and her tears began to build up. Who had the power to subdue the King of Goblins? Whoever this imposter was had to be quite powerful and very dangerous. She feared for Jareth, she was not ready to lose him; she would never be ready to lose him. Fae were practically immortal; she had never contemplated losing Jareth. “Tell me where he is.”

Sarah looked into Adaiya’s eyes and saw the sadness. She had no idea what to do or how to respond so she chose the truth, “I don’t know for sure,” she said.

“What do you mean you don’t know? Tell me where he is!” Adaiya was not going to fall for his tricks. Whoever he was, he knew exactly where Jareth was and she would extract the information using any means necessary.

Sarah’s eyes widened as she watched Adaiya conjure a whip. Her heart wanted to leap out of her chest. She could hardly breathe. Panic filled her body and all rational thought was gone, “I don’t know, I really don’t know! Please don’t hurt me.” Sarah knew she sounded pathetic, but she couldn’t stop the words from coming out of her mouth. She had never been so scared in all her life.

Adaiya was not a violent person by nature but for the sake of the Kingdom and its King she would have to make an exception. She lifted the whip and struck the imposter. The whip tore at his clothes and cut through the skin. The room was instantly filled with the sound of Sarah’s screams. “Tell me where he is now or you will not live through this night!”

Sarah never felt such pain before, it throbbed and burned. The pain radiated throughout her body, from the point of origin to all of her limbs. Even her fingertips swelled in response. The pain was so intense she could not prevent the screams from coming out.

Adaiya would not allow the imposter to live. He would either confess his crimes or die, it was that simple. She cringed as she lifted the whip again. The man on the wall looked and sounded just like Jareth. But she knew it wasn’t him and the safety of the Underground was at stake. She was the Queen and in the absence of the King, it was her duty to protect the Kingdom. She struck the imposter several more times, each time eliciting the heart shattering screams from him.

Sarah knew the situation was hopeless. She had no chance to get away from the woman who was brutalizing her. What had she done to deserve this? The pain was still reverberating throughout her body. Not my body, his body, Sarah realized, his body, his strength, his power. Sarah concentrated. She went deep in herself to her inner sanctuary – the field. She felt the power, the magic coursing through her. As soon as she reached that place, the pain stopped, time stopped, everything stopped. She opened her eyes and saw the Queen standing frozen in front of her, holding whip above her head about to strike again.

Sarah looked at the shackles which protruded from the walls and commanded them to release her. As soon as she was free from the wall, time resumed. She moved with unnatural speed towards the Queen. Grabbing her hand and removing the whip, the Queen had no time to react as Sarah struck her across the face, then she picked her up and shoved her against the wall.

Sarah held the Queen by her neck. She felt Jareth’s strength inside of her, almost like a beast roaring to be set free but she was in total control. She could feel the Queen’s life force in her hands. With a flick of her wrist, Sarah could end this woman’s life.

Adaiya was completely caught off guard. Whoever the imposter was, he was indeed powerful. Only the Goblin King could have escaped the wall, only he could have overpowered her and only the King had the power over life and death as this man clearly did. The man in front of her was the Goblin King, but it was not Jareth. Adaiya felt her resolve weaken. Something had happened to Jareth and she had failed him as well as the Kingdom. Now she would be killed and all would be lost. Adaiya sent a prayer to any god that may have been listening and prepared herself to journey into the afterlife.

Toby could not believe that he was helping Jareth pretend to be his sister. He was in Sarah’s small office area showing Jareth her library, the computer, her files and everything else he could think of to prepare Jareth for his lunch tomorrow with Veronica.

Jareth had never used a computer before and Toby realized that this may be a bit more difficult than he thought. Sarah had to use a computer. She was a very savvy when it came to technology and Jareth would not last five minutes if he could not even type. Toby spent the next several hours teaching Jareth everything he knew about computers and how to navigate on the internet.

He was frustrated to say the least. Jareth preferred his crystal magic to modern technology but he knew he had no choice. He had always been a quick study and he found that using a computer was not as nearly as difficult as it first seemed. After the tutorial, Toby showed him to all of Sarah’s college papers and text books.

“Jareth, if you want to be Sarah, you will have to think like her. Read her papers and you will at least get a better idea of who she is academically and professionally.” Toby felt bad for asking Jareth to read them. He had tried to read a few of her papers before and he could barely get through the first page let alone read them all in one night.

Sarah had written enough papers to fill an encyclopedia. He was a King and was certain that her papers would not be any more insightful than to simply prove how much she didn’t know about politics. Jareth had, at one time, adored Sarah Williams, he knew she was beautiful and intelligent and capable of anything she put her mind to. She had proven that when she won Toby back, but she had never struck him as a diplomat or a politician. Reading her papers would be laborious, but necessary. Jareth grabbed the first paper and began reading.

Sarah saw the fear in Adaiya’s eyes. She could hardly believe herself, she had never been a violent person before. Then again, she had never been tortured before. Sarah looked down at her chest and saw that all of the cuts and marks had already healed and her clothes were repaired as well. In fact, if it was not for her memories, she would not have even known she had been attacked.

Sarah relaxed her grip on Adaiya. She felt Jareth’s magic and she now knew that she could not be captured again. She wasn't afraid of the Queen anymore. But the Queen was clearly afraid of her.

Adaiya fell to the floor. “Please, don’t do this, give me back Jareth, give the Kingdom back its King, please.” Adaiya was begging and it did not suit her, but she had no choice. Her plan backfired on her and she knew that the imposter had the King’s powers. Begging was not beneath her, not when peace for all of the Underground was at stake. For peace, she would do anything.

“I told you already, I don’t know where he is. I think he is aboveground in my body, but I don’t know for sure.”

Adaiya looked up at the imposter. Aboveground, she thought. Just who was this imposter anyway? She stood up and looked the man directly in the eyes, “Who are you?”

Sarah steeled herself before answering, “I am Sarah Williams.”

Adaiya gasped and fell to her knees, “Of all that is good and holy, I did not know it was you.” Adaiya kept her head down but looked around the room. She was certain the Norns would appear at any moment and condemn her for injuring Sarah, their chosen bride for the King.

Sarah wasn’t sure what reaction she had expected from the Queen, but this certainly wasn't it. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, “Stand up Adaiya and tell me what you know about me.”

“You are Sarah Williams, the girl who beat the Labyrinth and the only woman to win the heart of the King.”

“Obviously not the only one,” Sarah said with much disdain, “Do you have any clue why I am here?”

Adaiya sighed, “It has to be the Norns.”

“Norns?”

“Yes, they are goddesses. There are three of them and they guard destiny. They told me many years ago that you were destined for Jareth and they asked me to help bring you together.”

Sarah thought over the Queen’s words. That would explain the situation now and even what had happened with the King the night before. But why would the Norns try to match her with a man who was already married. She was not about to be the second wife to the Goblin King; she would never enter into a marriage where she wouldn’t be the one and only wife. “And you are just okay with the fact that the Norns are trying to hook Jareth and I up?”

Adaiya frowned at Sarah’s slang. She was familiar with the phrase but it was not appropriate for the King or future Queen to use colloquialisms. “Well, since you asked, I would’ve picked someone else for Jareth. Someone who would love him as he deserves.”

Sarah scoffed. The King didn’t deserve any love, he was cruel and heartless and….Sarah’s train of thought was interrupted as she realized the Queen had said something that didn’t quite make sense, “What do you mean you would’ve picked someone else for Jareth?”

“I didn’t mean to offend you Sarah, but I always wished for him to have a wife who would love him unconditionally, who would stand beside him as I do and who would see the wonderful man he has become. I love him as no other could and it is my wish for him to have this in a wife.”

The comprehension hit Sarah suddenly and without warning. She gasped, “You’re his mother!”

Adaiya looked at Sarah who inhabited the body of her son, “Of course I am his mother—I’m the Queen.”

“But I thought the Queen was the King’s wife.”

Adaiya laughed, “Well, in some kingdoms that is the case, but in the Goblin Kingdom, the Queen is the mother. My husband’s mother was Queen until Jareth came of age to take the crown. During his coronation, I was crowned Queen and I will remain so until he produces a son and steps down as King.”

Sarah frowned, it was a strange system and in all of her studies she had never heard of such a monarchy.

Adaiya caught her confusion, “It is different but necessary. If I had to be Queen when I married my husband, I would have failed miserably. I had been married to the King for nearly 500 years before Jareth was of age to take the throne and by then I was ready to be Queen.”

Sarah nodded, she was sure it was difficult to be Queen of the Goblin realm and she couldn’t imagine any woman would be able to fill the role immediately. But all this was beside the point, she now knew who was responsible for her situation. “Can you contact the Norns? Can they undo this?”

“No, my dear, I cannot contact them. They are goddesses and do not reside in this world. They can watch us at will and the spell that they have woven over you cannot be undone. They have done this for a purpose and you will have to see it through.” Adaiya knew exactly why they had done it. She knew that Jareth thought of Sarah as impetuous and selfish. Adaiya could tell that Sarah was neither of those two things but she also noted that Sarah held disdain for Jareth. She was certain that it was the Norns intentions to change their perceptions of one another. Adaiya let out a deep breath; this was the worst possible time with the summit only days away. She would have to teach Sarah everything about being King or else the Underground may see a war to end all wars.

Jareth had just finished the last of Sarah’s papers. He was actually quite impressed with her work; it was very well done and clearly thought out. She had written on a variety of subjects from the domestic political economy to international concerns. She had covered topics such as diplomacy in the face of aggression, the conflicts in the Middle East, and in depth studies on the United Nations and various other political agencies. Jareth was impressed with her knowledge.

He was not certain what she did at the Hoover Institution but he actually found that he was looking forward to meeting with Veronica and learning more about Sarah’s work. He felt more relaxed that she might actually be able to carry her own in his Kingdom. He sent a silent prayer that Adaiya would figure it out and take her under her wing. He trusted his mother and Queen to help her through the summit. Adaiya had an iron will and would die trying to defend the Goblin Kingdom as well as the Underground.

Jareth sighed; he could only hope to find someone here to help him be Sarah. Toby could only help with so much. Once Jareth goes to work, he will be completely on his own with no guidance. He tried to squelch his fear; after all, he was Jareth Ruari of the Underground, a Fae of Royal blood and King of the Goblin Realm, ruler of the Labyrinth, and guardian of the unwanted. He could do this.

A/N: I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. Please review!!